22 10-4 Magazine / May 2026 distinctive black and gold James Bond (007) paint scheme. One of them, owned by Tyler Picknell, is one of the first ones ever made, and the other is presumably the last one that will ever be made, as the W900L comes to an end. The idea to get these two trucks together came from our own Mark Harter, so look for a feature about the sunsetting of the W900L, and these two trucks in particular, in an upcoming edition of 10-4. Thursday night is the “official” light show for the public, so after a quick dinner with our group, we headed back to the Expo Center to take the pictures we wanted to take, not the ones we were told to take, like the night before. But, it was such a beautiful night, the lot was packed and it was almost impossible to take any pictures. So, we stayed out there and just looked at trucks, talked to a lot of people we hadn’t seen in a long time, and enjoyed the warm evening. Like almost every year at MATS, the weather took a big turn on Friday, as the temperature dropped, the wind kicked up, and rain moved into the area. But, because of that weather, more people came inside the show, so the vendor booths, including ours, were really busy. Since I couldn’t go outside for most of the day, I just stayed in the booth and talked to people who came by (which I rarely get to do), and before we knew it, the session was over, and day 2 of the 3-day event was already coming to an end. The days go so fast! On Friday evening, we at 10-4 Magazine always have a big dinner with many of our contributors, advertisers, booth helpers, and friends. This year, we had to find a new place, because the BBQ restaurant we had been going to for years (Mark’s Feed Store) had closed. But, thankfully, with some help from our friend Miss Flatbed Red, we found 80/20 @ Kaelin’s, and what a great place it turned out to be. They claim to be the “birthplace” of the cheeseburger. I’m not sure if that is true, but their food is awesome. With a private room that could accommodate 30 people, we had an amazing time with so many of our extended family and such a memorable evening. Thanks to everyone who came and added to the festivities. Saturday morning came fast, and here we were, on the last day already. The awards ceremony began at 10:00 AM, so there wasn’t much time to waste. Unfortunately, amid all the excitement of handing out the awards, they also had to memorialize a few people we recently lost with short but personal tributes for JR Schleuger of Lifetime Nut Covers, Bud Farquar of Stars & Stripes, Ray Graves of Farmer’s Oil, and pioneer truck photographer and journalist Bette Garber, who passed away many years ago, but was being honored with an award given out in her memory this year (that award went to Austin Badders – see this month’s Trucker Talk column). As the awards were announced and handed out, the excitement and anticipation of finding out who won the big “Best of Show” trophies and who would be the winner of the Big Rig Build-Off was growing. Besides the Build-Off, the toughest competition came in the Limited Mileage Combo class, where Chad and Brad Sands and their “Asphalt Outlaw” – a white 2016 Peterbilt 389 with metallic green accents hooked to a polished 2018 MAC end dump – was going head-to-head with Pickett Custom Truck’s (Jason Flores of Dandee Dairy) “Alfalfa Cruiser” – a chopped and slammed green 2018 Pete 389 with purple stripes pulling a set of polished 2018 XL hay doubles. Watching the Pickett shop build the truck through social media over the past year, nobody thought it could be beat (at least I didn’t). With almost everything being customized, painted, polished or chrome-plated, an awesome and unique interior, and lowered as much as humanly possible, it is a phenomenal build. It barely resembles the truck we put on our cover just a year ago (April 2025), but after seeing the Sands truck and trailer, along with their entire setup, which really raised the bar, I wasn’t so sure the PCT boys had the win in the bag. And, low and behold, the Sands brothers came in quietly and below the radar (sort of) and beat them! The Build-Off, which was the third one since restarting this competition in 2024, where three competitors – Luke Rethwisch, Randy Menkel, and James Stegall (well, actually there was four, but Andrew “Sticks” Ditz did not finish his truck) – each unveil a one-of-a-kind rig that showcases the best in modern truck fabrication. As the defending champion, winning last year with his impressive Peterbilt 359 and super cool display, this year Luke brought out a sweet 1976 cabover Peterbilt 352H with a 110” bunk called “High Rise Suite” that featured a 3408 CAT, an 18-speed, and a flashy paint job in Legendary Black Cherry, Legendary Red, and Legendary Gold. James Stegall of Stegall’s Truck Shop in Perryville, MO was another competitor in the Build-Off. James and his crew built “Blue Collar Roots” for the competition (and Wallis Transport), which is a light metallic blue 2007 Pete 379, with a C15 CAT and a 13-speed, along with a sweet interior by our friend and past cover trucker Chris Gebhardt (September 2024), amazing bead-rolled stainless accents done by T.J. Vonder Haar, and black metallic paint on the front fenders and tanks, with tons of blue flake in it, along with faint ghost flames on the front fenders, which many people did not even notice. Both the Rethwisch cabover and Stegall’s classic 379 were
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